In a joint statement released on Wednesday, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial democracies expressed their support for the withdrawal of humanitarian support and the establishment of corridors in Gaza. This move came after a series of intense meetings in Tokyo, Japan, where the G7 diplomats refrained from calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The G7 foreign ministers condemned Hamas and stood in support of Israel’s right to self-defense. Their joint statement stressed the urgency of addressing the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and expressed support for humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate essential assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages.
The statement, jointly issued by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy, emphasized the need for unimpeded humanitarian support for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel, and shelter, as well as access for humanitarian workers.
Furthermore, the G7 foreign ministers declared their commitment to preventing the escalation of the conflict and its wider spread. They vowed to employ sanctions and other measures aimed at denying Hamas the ability to raise funds for carrying out atrocities.
The ministers also strongly condemned the surge in extremist settler violence against Palestinians, deeming it “unacceptable.” They argued that such violence undermined security in the West Bank and jeopardized the prospects for a lasting peace in the region.
